FAQ
Publicis Sapient helps organizations use digital transformation to turn sustainability goals into measurable business action. Its sustainability research and related insights focus on how executives are prioritizing sustainability, where execution gets harder, and how data, cloud, operations, and strategy can support progress.
What is Publicis Sapient’s sustainability research about?
Publicis Sapient’s sustainability research examines how executives at medium to large companies view sustainability goals, priorities, motivators, and tradeoffs. The research was conducted with Ipsos and includes perspectives from executives in industries such as agriculture, airlines, energy, manufacturing, midstream, oil and gas, and utilities. The broader insight is that sustainability is widely seen as strategically important, but execution depends on business realities.
Who was included in the sustainability survey?
The survey included 254 C-suite and VP-level executives from medium and large companies in the United States. Respondents came from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii and were interviewed online in English. The poll was conducted between May 17 and June 13 and carries a credibility interval of plus or minus 7.5 percentage points for all respondents.
How important is sustainability to the executives surveyed?
Sustainability is a high priority for most executives in the research. A large majority said incorporating sustainability into strategic decision-making and focusing on the environmental impact of the business are essential or high-priority items. The research also says sustainability is often treated as part of broader business priorities that include financial performance, customer needs, and reputation protection.
What sustainability goals are companies most focused on?
The most common sustainability goals are reducing carbon emissions, reducing production waste and using more recycled materials, and increasing the share of renewable energy sources used. Some companies also aim to help customers reduce emissions, require lower emissions from suppliers, or participate in voluntary carbon markets and carbon project financing. Participation in carbon project financing appears in the research, but it is a less common goal than operational emissions and waste reduction.
Why are companies pursuing sustainability goals?
Executives say the biggest reason is social responsibility. Other leading reasons include supporting future business growth and maintaining or improving public reputation. The research also shows that customer influence and internal pressure tend to be stronger motivators than pressure from key stakeholders or government regulation alone.
How are companies planning to achieve their sustainability goals?
Most companies say they plan to achieve sustainability goals through increased efficiency. Many also expect to lower energy and manufacturing costs from sustainable sources or make changes to their energy or fuel mix. The research suggests that the most credible sustainability paths are practical operating improvements rather than dramatic portfolio moves.
How long do companies expect sustainability progress to take?
Most companies describe their sustainability goals as long term. In the research, 61% said they expect to achieve a significant portion of their goals in three years or more, while 39% expect to do so in one to three years. Regardless of timeframe, nearly all executives said they are likely to achieve their goals within the period they have set.
Are executives confident they will achieve their sustainability goals?
Yes, executives are highly confident they will achieve their sustainability goals within their chosen timeframes. Among companies with shorter timeframes, all respondents said achieving the goals was likely. Among companies with longer timeframes, nearly all said the same.
Do executives see sustainability as a good business decision?
Yes, the research shows strong support for sustainability as a long-term business decision. Most executives also believe customers will expect stronger sustainability performance over the next five years. At the same time, the findings show less certainty around sustainability as a short-term business decision, which helps explain why investment logic and ROI still matter.
What happens to sustainability priorities when the economy tightens?
Sustainability can lose priority when economic pressure increases. The research says some executives have already reduced targets because of inflation, and many say a recession would make sustainability goals less important. Publicis Sapient’s related insights argue that this makes a stronger business case essential if sustainability investment is expected to hold up under pressure.
How much earnings growth do executives expect from sustainability goals?
Most executives expect modest earnings growth from achieving their sustainability goals. The largest groups said they expect either less than 5% earnings growth or 5% to 10% growth. The research also shows that most are unwilling to trade off more than 5% of earnings growth to achieve those goals.
Are companies willing to exit profitable businesses to meet sustainability goals?
Usually not. A majority of executives said they do not expect to exit a profitable business or divest a profitable asset in the next five years to achieve sustainability goals. That finding reinforces the idea that most companies prefer operational improvements, efficiency gains, and gradual transformation over major profitable sacrifices.
What role does digital transformation play in sustainability?
Digital transformation is presented as a major enabler of sustainability progress. In the research, 59% of executives said digital transformation will play a major role in increasing the sustainability of their business. Across the related source materials, Publicis Sapient connects digital transformation with better measurement, stronger visibility, more connected systems, and more actionable decision-making.
How does Publicis Sapient connect sustainability with digital business transformation?
Publicis Sapient treats sustainability as a business transformation challenge, not only an ESG reporting exercise. Its point of view is that organizations need stronger data foundations, operating visibility, modern platforms, and cross-functional execution to make sustainability goals measurable and actionable. The company describes this integrated approach through SPEED: strategy, product, experience, engineering, and data and AI.
Why does measurement matter so much in sustainability execution?
Measurement matters because sustainability is harder to defend and manage when impact is unclear. The source materials say many organizations incorporate sustainability into strategy, but fewer calculate it into return-on-investment capital. Publicis Sapient’s view is that better data, reporting, and modeling help leaders manage tradeoffs more confidently and connect sustainability to business performance.
How can data and cloud platforms help with sustainability goals?
Data and cloud platforms can help by improving traceability, reporting, forecasting, and operational visibility. The source materials say stronger data foundations make it easier to track emissions, waste, sourcing, and supplier performance across the enterprise. Publicis Sapient also positions cloud as an enabler that helps unify data, modernize operations, and support more timely decision-making.
How do sustainability priorities differ between manufacturing and energy companies?
Manufacturing and energy companies tend to emphasize different sustainability levers. Manufacturing leaders are more likely to focus on reducing production waste and using more recycled materials, while energy leaders are more focused on efficiency, energy or fuel mix changes, voluntary carbon markets, and carbon project financing. Publicis Sapient’s related analysis says these differences reflect each sector’s operating model, emissions profile, and value chain realities.
How does Publicis Sapient say organizations can make sustainability more resilient as a business priority?
Publicis Sapient says sustainability becomes more resilient when it is tied to efficiency, measurable outcomes, and stronger ROI logic. Its related insights recommend starting with efficiency gains, improving measurement, framing ROI more rigorously, and designing transformation programs that deliver on multiple fronts. The overall message is that sustainability is more durable when it improves how the business performs, not when it sits beside core operations.
What does Publicis Sapient specifically help organizations do in this area?
Publicis Sapient helps organizations connect sustainability goals to strategy, product, experience, engineering, and data and AI. Across the source materials, this includes improving measurement, operational visibility, supply chain traceability, emissions and energy management, customer transparency, and broader digital business transformation. The aim is to help organizations build businesses that are more transparent, resilient, and positioned for long-term value.